The Array Lord's Inheritance (5)

Emily took another step forward while Shui and Maha watched her. She wasn't certain that her method would work, but she judged that it was worth a try. Naturally, she had been frightened when the man was eaten by some unknown creature, but she was able to shake off that fear soon after. After the betrayal and life-threatening incidents she had been through, a mere monster wasn't about to make her surrender. It might give her nightmares though.

Once she prepared herself, Emily entered the Still Heart state and examined the floor. Through this, she was able to figure out where traps were placed as well as glimpse a few of the hidden rules behind this test. Now, she just had to prove her theory.

Emily kept moving forward until she reached the fifth row, she then moved two steps to the right, placing her at the last column. Subsequently, she moved three steps forward, one step to the left, two steps back and one step to left. She seemed to be moving in a random pattern, but Shui could tell that she was serious about every step she made.

At the end of her roundabout route, Emily was in front of the chest at the eighth row and second column from the left. This was the moment of truth. Shui adjusted his posture and was prepared to force his body past its limits with the speed essence within him. He wouldn't interfere if everything went well, but the moment he could tell that she was in danger, he ready to rush to her rescue in an instant.

It was a rather admirable amount of concern he had for her, but Maha couldn't help but shake her head as she glanced at him.

When Emily opened the chest, there was a tense moment of silence. As various scenarios came to Shui's mind, a golden shining orb the size of a fist rose out of the chest and floated into Emily's hands. Shui couldn't tell what the orb was, but he didn't stress on it once he saw the brilliant smile on her face. Emily turned to him and showed off her prize with a proud expression.

"Well done."

While Shui clapped and wished he could run over to hug her, Maha went next.

"That was amazing."

"Thanks."

Maha giggled at Emily's shy reply before moving forward. Although he had gleamed something from Emily's solution, that was partially thanks to his knowledge of arrays so Shui was surprised that Maha had also figured out a way of passing the test so quickly.

Maha started in the middle column and then closed her eyes. Similar to the Still Heart state, she cleared her head of all distractions and thought only of her upcoming movements. After she simulated the choreography of her walk over and over again, Maha suddenly leapt to her diagonal right. As graceful as a pampered cat, she landed toes-first with her right foot, and then slowly dropped her left foot. If he hadn't been watching closely, then it probably would have missed him, but now he couldn't help but notice that there was a change to her aura.

Usually, Maha had a mysterious and playful air around her, but as she moved from one space to the next, she became a dignified beauty as stunning as a work of art. Her movements weren't very showy, but her seemingly random timing and pace made Shui wonder if she was dancing. The path she took was as inefficient as Emily's, but she followed a rhythm that he couldn't fully identify.

Maha stopped in front of the chest in the second column from the right and thirteenth row. She had been reluctant about showing her fascinating movements to them, but she lost her hesitation after watching Emily. Maha's movements were strongly connected to both her identity and a few of her trump cards, but she felt that she could trust them with this much.

She cautiously opened the chest in front of her. Fortunately, she experienced the same thing as Emily. The feeling of the orb once it floated into her hand put a natural smile on her face.

After seeing both of them complete the test, Shui knew that he had to do the same. This wasn't just about the inheritance, it was also about his pride. As Emily's big brother and Maha's partner, he couldn't allow himself to stumble here.

He wasn't sure what method they used, but from his analysis, the route to each chest could be deduced by looking at the types of traps nearest to the chest. If there was a pitfall trap to the right of a chest, then the route he took to reach it should always have a pitfall trap on the right side. Still, with just his perception, it was difficult to figure out the exact nature of every trap so some gambling was required.

Before, this uncertainty made him hesitate, but since Emily was able to move forward, there was no reason why he shouldn't be able to as well.

Shui started in the middle column, then moved to the second row of the second column from the left. He continued to alternate between the two columns for each row he advanced, making his route much simpler than the other two. Emily and Maha narrowed their eyes at his path because they knew what chest he was targeting. The route for this chest was the easiest to deduce once you knew the general method, but it was likely the most dangerous choice.

Shui stopped in front of the only chest that was a size larger than the others and had gold decorations. The chest at the end of the middle column, the one that guaranteed a fortune. However, Shui didn't choose this chest because of what it contained. He only picked it because it was also the hardest chest to open safely. After that embarrassing hesitation at the start of the test, he felt that he had to do this to make it up to himself.

He was sure of the route he took, but he still activated martial intent and sharpened his focus as his hand approached the chest. It didn't have a lock, so all he needed to do was lift it open. Once his hand was on the chest, Shui took a moment to steady his breathing before opening it.

As soon as it was open, something rushed out ready to bite him, but it stopped in front of his face. Now that it had stopped, it was easy to see the smooth scales, big droopy eyes and sharp teeth of the creature. It was faint, but this creature had the bloodline of ancient dragons, so it also released a strong pressure.

This wasn't like what happened to the man who joined them for the test. He faced the penalty for thoughtlessly touching a chest, but Shui was being evaluated. Shui and the creature held a staring match while it kept increasing its pressure. Since he had passed the first test it was obvious that his mental strength was high, but the creature was checking for something different.

The creature remained in place until it was satisfied. It followed the belief of its creator that one must be confident when climbing towards their goals, so if Shui had cowed for even a moment, the creature would have grown to its true size and swallowed him.

With its role complete, the creature scattered into tiny white particles and was replaced by a golden orb the size of someone's head. However, there was no time for celebration because as soon as that big orb touched his hand, there was a flash of light and the room was lifeless.